Skie Nathaniel Talent
Skie Nathaniel Talent is a man that defined his life by purpose. Born on Christmas Eve 1986 to Marcus and Isabelle Talent, and younger brother to Darian Talent. Having lost his mother at an early age, Skie followed in the footsteps of his brother and left home when he was 17. Having learned the art of parkour, he spent three years serving as a free-running messenger, of sorts, in New York City; during which time he also became romantically entangled with Maria Collins. About half a year after he turned 20, he was inducted as one of The Eternal Knights, a famous clan with backgrounds stretching back for thousands of years. As a Knight, he had a chance meeting with the Neo-Angel, Xaihou Yan, who employed him as one of five Rapid Response Agents for a military organization known as Stratagem; based somewhere in Egypt. There he was able to showcase his natural abilities as a pilot (a skill prominent among the male members of the Talent line), when he was put in the cockpit of a mech known as a Geist. It was during this time that he spontaneously adopted a little girl who would eventually become known as Audrey Lyca Talent. When Strategem suffered a coup within it's short existence, Skie detached himself from the group and went on to co-found The Institute of Isabelle with his new and mysterious friend Malachi Tresler, a refuge for those children, like Audrey, orphaned by the ongoing wars around the world. After almost a year of inactivity, where Skie used his time to live a somewhat normal life, Audrey suddenly started showing signs of accelerated growth and aging. In his desperate attempt to find answers, he rushed to The Eternal Knights, his only resource, with Audrey in tow; coincidentally reuniting with Yan, who revealed himself to be the source to this mysterious phenomenon, among other things. Biography Early Life Skie Talent was born and raised in the slums of Midgar. His mother and father gave him the middle name, Nathaniel, after that of his grandfather. Skie's older brother, Darian, succeeded him by 8 years, but the one thing they had in common was their inheritance of their father's mechanical and piloting skills; and also the beauty of their mother. Unfortunately, 8 years later Isabelle passed away, an incident that would cause Darian to lose control and leave home about a year after. Being only 8 at the time, Skie remained with his father in Midgar until he himself turned 17, and at that point determined that he had to get out of the slums, and so headed for New York City on a whim to start a new life. There, after learning the art of parkour, he began his own messenger service; one that sometimes brought him bad business in the underworld. With his skills, and a certain amount of luck, he was able to survive for three years running this service alone; the benefits of being able to travel the world and finally be out of the slums was enough for him. It was somewhere during this time that he met and began a relationship with Maria, but when that relationship ended after a year (the details of which are still unknown) he took a trip in order to get away from things, and had a chance encounter with that of Danica Viere Donnely. She was a fireball, to be sure, but like all flames it would die out soon enough, but even this would not prepare Skie for what lay ahead for him and his destiny. The Eternal Knights During the course of those three years, Skie began to slowly learn more and more about the C/G World, and after delving into it further, learned of a clan called The Eternal Knights that were based in the same city. After an inquiry, he was soon inducted into the order, and was shortly deployed to Honduras in order to help with an excavation already in progress. It was there that he formed friendly relations with Father Christopher Harris, Brynn Vega, Jordon Kendall, and Doleur; three fellow knights and one very mysterious old man. Their task was to explore a Mayan like temple in search of an artifact known as a Capstone. Skie reveled at the journey, looking forward to the prospect of making himself known among his new clan mates, and often times took opportunities to forge ahead in creative fashion. Mistakenly, he captured the attention of a beast living in the waters of the cavern, causing Jordon to use desperate measures in order to give the others a chance to escape. When the others finally reached the room where the capstone was supposed to be, they found nothing but a strange Eden and a man known as Yan, who informed them that the capstone was already gone, as well as gave Chris a weapon known as Siduri; proving that their journey was a little more than fruitless. Overall, once they left the cavern, Skie felt an accomplishment in having been a part of the excavation, as well as having made new friends along the way. Taking his leave from the others, though, he ran into the same man who had met him and the others in the cavern. Intrigued more than he was bewildered, Skie accepted an offer from Yan to join a new military organization that he himself was putting together, ultimately leading him to a lifetime full of twists and turns and overall adventure. Qian-4 while enlisted in Stratagem.]] Stratagem Within the next few days Skie was in Egypt, and in the cockpit of a new armored mech known as a Geist. Him, along with two others, would be training with Yan to become Rapid Response Agents for Stratagem; an organization created to seek out and find the secrets of the capstones, as well as protect the innocent. Skie received the call sign of Qian-4, and took off running during the training sessions, revealing his natural born skills as both a pilot and a leader. It was a battle in the desert, with Yan on one side and the others facing him, and one that proved more difficult and rewarding than Skie would ever have expected. Not only would he become accustomed to his new Geist, which he later named "Valkyrie", but he was also able to gain a deeper connection with his partners Yan, Jer, and Saoi; which later proved very useful on the battlefield. Bright Eyes and Viere After his training, Skie took a few days leave in order to go back to New York City for TEK's upcoming Millennial Ball. As he waited for his date, Viere, to arrive at the airport one day, he was visited by a stranger who carried with him a kitten he claimed to have found as a stray. Somehow or another, Skie embarked on a tale about losing his brother Darian when he was only 8 years old, as well as emphasizing how much of a dreamer the older Talent was; always talking about space and visiting the stars. As he reminisced, though, he found that the man he was speaking to had slipped away unnoticed, leaving only a strange drawing as well as a note to take care of the kitten; who apparently had already been named Bright Eyes. A feeling of nostalgia rushed over Skie as he thought about the man-with-no-name, but he dismissed it when Viere arrived from her flight, and so he took the gray kitten with a smile as they went off to prepare for the ball. The celebration soon became a night of pretending and deceit, as Skie tried his best to impress the girl he had met in Nevada on a road trip almost a month before. In the end, he never quite felt like himself, and decided it was about time to end the escapade he had started, but was soon distracted when he was handed a letter from Jordon Kendall, informing Skie of a meeting that same night and asking for him to join. Skie blew off the meeting when he realized that Viere had disappeared, but when he never found her he stopped the search, thinking it the better for both of them. Not much is known about what happened the rest of his days on leave, but it is rumored that he spent time reconnecting with Maria Collins, but these statements can neither be confirmed nor denied at this current point in time. Audrey Lyca Talent Returning to Egypt found Skie stationed aboard the Laevateinn, the flagship of the Stratagem fleet. In the hanger bay he went about customizing the Valkyrie to fit his needs after the last training session, as well as giving it a new black and white paint job. While at work, he was distracted by Saoi, who then introduced him to the newest Rapid Response Agent, Rebecca McRemitz, who had arrived while he was away. No sooner had the three begun to get acquainted when tragedy struck. A hospital in Cairo, capital close by, had been bombed. They were dispatched immediately, barely receiving orders as they exited the Hanger Bay. When Skie learned that Yan was already on the scene, he deviated from their course and set out to search for their commander, finding him amongst the rubble of the newly destroyed hospital. Landing nearby, he dismounted from the Valkyrie and proceeded on foot to assist Yan, as well as receive further instructions. However, all he was given was a newborn baby girl; which Yan had just pried out of the dying mother in an effort to save the infant. With barely a word, Yan left Skie with the crying babe as he set off to take care of those responsible for the attack, The Tainted Angels. ]] Skie was confused, but he looked upon the little girl with a compassionate heart, and nothing less. Boarding his Geist he brought her to the nearest medical unit, leaving her in their care for the time being, but when the emergency doctors asked for a name, Skie replied by giving them his: Talent. Without a mother or a father to care for the babe, he didn't know what to do, so it was with those few words that he decided to adopt the girl and take her as his own. This was the day that Audrey Lyca Talent was born. No sooner had this been done that he realized that this was going to be a lot tougher than expected. In desperation, Skie called on a person that was a big part of his past, but had neglected to include in his recent life. The first appearance of Maria Collins, establishing their past relationship as well as his sudden disappearance from her life. She agreed to help him with this, but at that point hadn't forgiven him for leaving without prior notice. In the next week, Stratagem would hold a celebration ceremony on board the Laevateinn. Skie would partake in a few of the festivities, but all the while his thoughts would stray back to the two women who had just entered his life, practically overnight. He realized that this was going to drastically change things, though at the time he never knew just how much that would be. For now, though, his commitment was to Stratagem, and until that time was over he would have to keep that commitment. Still, Skie never shook the feeling that things would never be the same. Judgment over Neova As Xaihou Yan and Kaworu Nagasi fight a tremendous battle in the skies of Neova - one that would be their last - Skie slipped into the U.N Experiment Labs relatively unnoticed, thanks to the Optic Neural Camouflage Stratagem had provided him. After witnessing the ultimate sacrifice of Isac, an unknown soldier fighting for the freedom of Neova that day, Skie secured Isac's AEKE Lance that had now been left as a war trophy, and continued about his mission: To find specific files about legendary artifacts, then destroy the archives. This proved to be an easy task, as he found and entered the room without any trouble. Having been briefed to specifically look for anything on "Legendary Weapons", Skie began his search while placing charges around the area. Once he secured the needed files, he began to download the same files digitally just in case, while making absolutely sure that the rest of the archives would be destroyed upon his exit. Then he stumbled upon a file of interest, one that was boldly labeled: Yan, Xaihou. Taking the file, he finished the mission and returned without a problem. It was within this file that Skie learned more about the Angel, as well as a trick that he possessed called an AT Field. In his research, Skie found that this wasn't an ability that pertained solely to Angels, but that Human's possessed an AT Field as well. With this new information, Skie would later inquire about this to Yan, and in exchange for the file Yan would in turn train Skie how to harness his own. Incident in Chiba After a long and mysterious absence, Shinji Ikari bursts back onto the scene of C/G, and everyone takes notice. Skie may not have heard of Ikari, but the bonds that tie them together are stronger than they appear, and he will never realize the impact this moment in time will have on his life. Chiba Speedway Shinji makes his way towards Chiba City along Chiba Speedway on a rainy day, and this soon turns into a high speed chase involving many parties. Stratagem is one of those, as they perceive Ikari to be a potential threat to the organization. In order to secure this threat they send out Yan, Skie, and Saoi in for the chase. Dropping from a helicopter inside a red charger, they race down the highway in pursuit, but are soon having to fight for their lives against the people wanting to get to Ikari first. No sooner do they find themselves breaking clear of the fray are they confronted by Jonathon Vagabond Fuery as he speeds toward them coming the opposite direction. Soon there is a collision, and not only does Fuery land on the roof of the charger, but he also slices through it with his sword, Save the Queen. When he makes his way onto the hood from there and starts to plunge his sword into the driver side windshield, Yan disappears at the exact moment of impact, causing Skie to shift to the driver's seat and take control of the vehicle. Yan, on the other hand, had appeared on the hood of the car with Fuery, and what followed was chaos. When one of Fuery's attacks landed yet again on the roof of the vehicle, Saoi is caught up in the aftershock, and in an instant she is flung out through the passenger door and onto the asphalt. Skie tried to save her, but at their rate of speed, and with him controlling the vehicle, he is unable to do so in time. In his shock, he is barely able to avoid a trench that was dug into the road moments before by switching on the afterburners and gaining even more speed. On the rain slicked asphalt, Skie then finds himself having to keep the Charger in control as it begins to fishtail. The fight escalated on the roof up to that point, and when the vehicle loses control Yan doesn't even try to hold on, and is thrown to the pavement as well. Skie doesn't keep the charger in control, and so he, along with Fuery, hit the median hard as the vehicle comes to a complete stop. The chase was over, and the semi-unconscious had been badly wounded. Fuery, who had jumped into the front seat, demanded to take the vehicle, but not before words were exchanged. It was in that moment that Skie would come face-to-face with his rival for the first time, but in his damaged state he could do nothing about it. Fuery took the car and went to Chiba City, while Skie went to look for his comrades. He would find Yan, also damaged but healing quickly, but they would never find Saoi. That moment in the vehicle, Skie feared, was the last time he would've gotten to see her face. At her funeral, he felt guilt, and it was then that his life took a drastic change. Chiba City Days after the funeral, Skie and Yan set off for Chiba City, the last place Shinji had been seen; therefore, the location of Fuery, Saoi's killer. It was here that Skie witnessed a side of Yan he had never noticed before, the revolutionary. Though interesting, Skie put this unnerving fact out of his mind, and instead focused on the crowd that gathered in the slums of Chiba. He looked upon the faces, searching for the one that had stared back at him in the vehicle upon the speedway. It would've been a lost cause, but as Skie would later put it, Fate stepped in that day. As Yan attracted a crowd with words of freedom, as well as the riot squads that would follow, Skie bounded forth across the rooftops, landing amongst the people in the very path of Jonathon Fuery. Had they not been interrupted by the Chiba City Police, there would've been a fight of vengeance, but instead they struggled with words and ideals. When Skie found himself fighting back to back with what he thought was his enemy, he realized that his actions were being controlled more by his emotions than by rationality. Skie found a connection with Fuery that he never expected. When Rebecca showed up without warning to "rescue" Skie, he complied without any struggle, but felt that this wouldn't be the last time he ran into Jonathon Vagabond Fuery. Acquiring the Staff of Tristam With his mind still racing on current events, Skie decides it's time to take another break from Stratagem. This time, his destination is Ireland, where an old friend Jordon Kendall is supposed to meet him. When Skie had received another letter from Jordon, he agreed to meet at Saint Mar’s Church in Rush; knowing only that the quest he was about to embark on involved a staff, but he didn't realize how much it would take of him to embrace it. Skie was the first to arrive, with Bright Eyes, but was soon joined by Aris Abrahm and Brynn Vega; the latter of which he also hadn't seen since Honduras. This was all very much to his surprise, but he was glad for the reunion. Jordon would arrive last, but Skie never got a chance to exchange words before Bright Eyes ran off through the church and out beyond it. Skie gave chase, but when he was out of sight of the others behind the church, he was confronted by one of the Four Horsemen, supposedly Famine, who asked to examine Skie's heart. Skie expected a battle, but when the rider drew his sword and raced towards him Skie stood his ground, and instead of a bloody collision the Horseman passed right through him, leaving Skie suddenly fatigued and terribly hungry. The black armored rider declared that the third seal was broken, and disappeared without a trace. When the others arrived with concern, Skie relayed what had happened. Jordon then explained that this quest was about the Staff of Tristam, a relic left behind from the days of Lancelot, and a testament to the story of Tristam and Isolde. Skie was to be the supposed wielder of the staff, but to acquire it, the bearer would have to have experienced true love within his heart. Though Jordon had trusted Skie at first, he no longer believed that Skie was the same man he had met before, and instead offered to remedy the situation with a love potion that a newcomer, Cerysin, possessed. Skie refused. Conflicted as he was with recent decisions and current events, he would not acquire this weapon by means that weren't true. Content with the decision made there, they continued their quest and boarded the Trinity, a boat that would take them to their next destination. The journey to a island hidden in the fog was an especially troubling one. Not only was Skie struggling with thoughts of love, but also with his future with Stratagem. The moment of truth came when the island rose from the sea and Skie made his way to an unknown fate. Soon he would reach a clearing with two trees wound into one, both having been planted as a sign of Tristam and Isolde's love for one another. No sooner had Skie entered the clearing that the world around him froze, leaving the only two witnesses to what was about to transpire as himself and the last horseman, Death. The Fall of Stratagem Stratagem v Eclipse The End of Stratagem Resigning his position The Institute of Isabelle Powers and Abilities AT Field Weapons and Gear Arm Blade Staff of Tristam AEKE Lance Optic Neural Camouflage Non-Canon Bounty Hunter Inn Clan Wars See Also The Living Autobiography of Skie Nathaniel Talent Category:Characters